According to the Belarusian opposition project, members of the Plan Peramoga militia used two DJI drones, each carrying 200 grams of explosives, to blow up an AWACS aircraft.
As a result of an explosion at the Machulishchi military airfield in Belarus, a Russian A-50 airborne early warning aircraft (AWACS) was seriously damaged. On Wednesday, March 1, writes the Belarusian opposition project BYPOL.
As specified, the explosion was carried out by members of the underground militia “Plan Peramoga”. They used two kamikaze drones manufactured by DJI, each of which carried 200 grams of explosives. Metal balls were used as a striking element with an approximate number of 200 pieces each.
As BYPOL clarifies, in accordance with satellite images published on the network, the AWACS aircraft has two damage sites:
a three-coordinate radar station (locator), which is a key element, was damaged; damage in the area of the radome of the satellite radio link antenna above the fuselage.
As analysts write, a defeat of this type may mean that the locator antenna will have to be changed entirely.
Russian AWACS aircraft A-50
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What else could have been damaged by the explosion?
An antenna for the “friend or foe” identification system should be located under the fairing. This kind of equipment is an expensive piece product, manufactured on the basis of a pre-order, comments BYPOL. If the antenna is damaged, replacing it can be a real problem.
The steel balls from the drones during the explosion were supposed to penetrate the relatively thin shell of the aircraft body, damage the wiring, as well as the radar and satellite communications station, which, as a rule, are located near the antennas.
Striking elements could hit kilometers of bundled cables of various types and purposes, which stretch along the entire body under the skin of the aircraft. As specified, such damage will not be visible on satellite images.
If the rescuers extinguished the plane (this information is not yet available), then water or aqueous solutions presumably led to the oxidation of the inside of the microwave waveguides coated with high-conductivity metal. Subsequently, this can lead to failure of the entire radar system.
Recall that on February 28, MAXAR satellite images appeared on the network, which show the blown up Russian A-50 aircraft at the airfield in Machulishchi. The monitoring group “Belarusian Gayun” reported that the A-50 radar aircraft was moved after the incident. His usual location is now empty.
